Job Offer #2

I got a call from Darren who's doing a TBS pilot - a 1/2 hour sitcom. He got my name from the UPM I worked with when I did Conviction (the woman who told me as I left for my 1st ice-skating lesson not to break my right wrist so I cracked my tailbone instead...) I don't know the name of the show or who's in it. I only know the rate is 70% of what I usually get. I told him I really couldn't work for less as it makes it harder to ask for more on the next job. He said he'd get back to me after seeing if anything could be done, but I'm pretty sure it's not going to happen.

Which is fine, because a friend of mine called last night to tell me the Spider-Man 3 is looking for a 2nd payroll person. That would be cool. I'm trying to get someone to send me back a copy of my resume so I can send it to them. We'll see what happens.

Long Day of Traveling

We got up at 5:30am yesterday to catch an 8am flight. When we got to the airport, they told us that San Francisco was fogged in and our flight would be delayed 2 hours. It wasn't awful, but there was a group of business people camped out in front of the computer plug-in station so we couldn't watch a movie to pass the time. We did miss our connecting flight to Atlanta. We ended up on a flight to Denver, then connected to Atlanta. Where we should have been in at 6:30pm, we didn't get in until after 11:00pm. Since it was so late, we decided to drive to Knoxville and come back to Atlanta on Friday to do our visiting then. So we got our rental car and headed north and as I made the curve from Georgia into Tennessee, I got tagged by a cop and got a speeding ticket. Bummer. Then it took 3 tries in Knoxville to find a hotel that had internet access and a room available. When I finally crawled into bed it was about 3:30 am. I'm just about done with this trip already.

Nice Eyes

We're getting ready for our trip home and bought some noise-reducing headphones for the plane. Didn't realize it at the time, but they need batteries, so I had to go to Target tonight and get some. We also needed a new bag for the husband's new laptop.

So I'm wandering around the luggage aisle looking for a bag when a 15(?) year old Latino boy walks past and says "nice eyes" to me. I didn't say anything to him, just smiled and kept looking. I walked into the next aisle and he had followed me. He asked me how I was doing and I told him just fine. He then said "nice eyes" again and I said thank you. I'm not quite sure what he wanted, but when I didn't engage in any more conversation, he just kind of drifted away. I hope I didn't hurt his feelings or anything, but he really seemed too young to have his driver's license yet.

It's funny. Whenever I get a compliment from a strange man, it's usually about my eyes. The first one I remember getting was back in high school. I worked at McD's and one day in the drive-thru, a customer took the time to tell me I had beautiful eyes before driving away. That actually may have been the first compliment I ever got from a complete stranger. Anyway, I don't do anything special to my eyes. I rarely wear makeup and don't have colored contacts. Don't know why people comment about them.

The husband says foreign men tend to find me attractive. Not sure why, but probably because I have some meat on my bones. In college, I went to a dance club and a guy from Africa asked me to dance and his buddy was giving him the thumbs up when he thought I couldn't see. Then there was a waiter in London at the best Indian restaurant who gave me extra chocolates. Maybe it's not only foreign men, though. There was that guy who I met while walking Sofie who said I was just his type and proceeded to give me his address in case I wanted to cheat on my husband.

Whatever it is, I just don't see it. I don't think I'm anything special when it comes to looks. All I've got going for me is my sense of humor and self-confidence. And frankly, my sense of humor isn't most people's cup of tea.

Job Offers...

I am officially unemployed now and have had no more job offers to report. I have, however, sent a resume to a Fox pilot that was listed on a job posting, got a phone call from a TBS pilot that has turned into a game of tag, and been alerted to a possibility of another pilot thru a friend of a friend (have to email my resume for forwarding...)

I'll let you know as soon as anything happens.

Getting Ready to Go Home

Took Sofie to the Bow Wow Bungalow today for her boarding... cried like a baby after we left. I know it's stupid to cry about leaving her, but I love that dog and I worry about her. Maybe it's for the best I don't have children - I probably wouldn't be able to function.

Had a star sighting over in Studio City. We were waiting to turn left onto Ventura Blvd. after leaving Book Star and I saw a couple crossing the street, each with a stroller. I told the husband the man looked familiar and he said it was Christopher Rich from the tv show "Reba." I have to say he looks better in person than he does on tv - not as wimpy and meek. Then again, it is called "Reba" not "Christopher."

Forgot to mention that we had a star sighting on Thursday, too. The accounting office went to lunch at the Smoke House ("World Famous Garlic Bread!") and guess who sat down next to us... Jo Anne Worley! We recognized her voice first and took turns looking over our shoulders to make sure it was really her. Hate to be rude, but some people are worth making sure it's really them and others you can get by with thinking you saw them.

I asked the husband today what he was getting me for my birthday and he responded with a very good question - he asked if I wanted goods or services. I like how that sounds. It leaves the field wide open. Right now, I think I want a new tattoo, one that the husband designs for me based on the ring I got for our anniversary. Don't know how long that'll take and I may change my mind before it happens, but right now that's my answer. I keep thinking I should go for a massage or spa treatment, but a tattoo lasts longer and may not hurt as much!

Lucky Dog Day

I've been packing up my office, all my toys and files and stuff. I've got 10 files of crew payroll and will probably have a couple of boxes for SAG and DGA. That's not a big deal, since I leave that here for post production to take over.

It's the boxes of my own stuff that drive me nuts. I always end up with more than I start with and I'm not sure where it all comes from. I managed to cull the herd a little bit, but so much of it is work related and I have to keep it.

At least I don't bother keeping baskets and stuff from show to show. That would drive me over the edge.

I'm sitting in the other accounting office blogging today and the 2nd assistant is wigging out, thinking that I'm writing about her. I wasn't, but now I am just to annoy her.

Anyway, I need to get back to it so I can get out of here on time. And I'd like to go back thru my boxes and see if I can dump some more of it.

A New Kind of Birthday Suit

I read over at www.newsfromme.com that January 31st is National Gorilla Suit Day. It's also my birthday.

Now I know the husband reads that blog and I want to take the opportunity the tell him that if he wants to get me a gorilla suit for my birthday I will wear it, but there had better be sparkly jewelry included... or at least a day at a spa.

Not For Republicans

http://www.peacecandy.com/gwbush/dishonestdubya/

thanks Frank!

Circuit City Sucks

The husband and I went to Circuit City on Monday evening and bought a new laptop. Actually, we paid for a new laptop, then drove to another Circuit City to pick it up. Maybe that should have been a sign, but we needed the computer and that's the one we wanted.

The husband spent most of Monday night and Tuesday trying to get the thing to work. It kept crashing, over and over, while he was loading software. Frustrated beyond words, he took it back to Circuit City to return it. We might have exchanged it, but they didn't have another in stock - they did have one in another store in another city, but the husband was over the driving around town part (and even if someone had brought it to where he was, it would have been the next day and he still would have drive out to pick it up). And when you've had one bad computer, who wants another of the same? Who's to say they're not all crap?

They told him he could leave it and the tech guys would look at it, but once again driving back and forth wasn't really an option. Besides, we all know how that works - they find nothing wrong with it (even if it means they fix it w/o telling you, and you're forced to take it back. So he decided to just return it and they charged him the 15% restocking fee.

I know they have rule that posted everywhere and I know the reason behind it. I just think it sucks. We got a defective computer and we didn't have the time to have them run us through the maze, only to end up with that computer back or another one that may also not work. So we're going to speak with our money from now on. We will never purchase anything from a Circuit City again. They already have our 15% and that's the last they will see of us.

If you have a "Circuit City Sucks" story, please let me know. I'm sure we're not the only ones.

Final Week

Today is my last payroll for You, Me & Dupree. I'm done on Friday and then it's back to the unemployment lines again.

Had a nice ride back from Carlsbad yesterday. Got on the first car which ended up being full of children on some sort of party excursion and a man with a laptop who had his music playing out loud. I couldn't take it for long and found myself another seat.

In the new car, there was this annoying girl who was talking to her mother on her cell phone. Apparently, she hadn't talked to her mother before getting on the train - I got the impression mom and dad had plans and couldn't get to the station to pick her up. She was really loud about telling her mom that her friend would pick her up. It was so bad the woman sitting in front of her kept turning around asking her to keep her voice down. That woman left, but loud annoying girl stayed for a while, talking to multiple friends about mostly nothing. I did enjoy the story about her getting lost in downtown LA while trying to get to a costume fitting. Basically, she had $5, because she lost her debit card, and walked around downtown for 5 hours before ending up on skid row... it was way more fun the way she told it, because she had no idea how moronic she sounded. She eventually left and I had a pretty quiet ride with my shuffle and my cross stitch. I do enjoy taking the train and would have taken it to Comic-Con, but they don't take anything but service animals and we're probably going to try and take Sofie with us this year.

The husband and Sofie picked me up at the station. I could tell from watching Sofie walk to the platform that she didn't have a clue why she was there, so I whistled. Her little ears perked right up and she looked all around until she spotted me looking down. Then she went berserk! She jumped about 4 feet onto the retaining wall and ran up to the railing to greet me. There was an elderly couple ahead of me on the ramp down to the parking lot and they commented on how excited she was, then turned to look at me and smile. I got lots of puppy kisses.

The husband and I talked about me taking a location show. If the right show comes along at the right time in the right city, it may work out. But I'm not going to count any chickens yet.

Infused-Tequila Shots All Around!

We went to The Spanish Kitchen for an amazing wrap dinner Thursday night. There were 14 of us from production and accounting and we ate and drank like nobody's business. Everything was delicious except for the desserts - which were ok but nothing special. I tried a bit of everything in the appetizers and had the lobster enchiladas for dinner. I also tried a bit of everything in the desserts. I don't like flan, but they told me it was amazing and I'm always willing to give something a 2nd try. The texture was better than what I've had before, but the flavor was sour. So I still don't like flan. They did have this superb pineapple infused tequila that was probably $10 a shot. So yummy. I can't wait to find out what the bill was...

Even after all that food and drink, I lost 3 lbs when I weighed in on Friday morning. I'm not saying it won't catch up with me, as it usually does. I'm just glad it waited a while.

I found out at dinner that T is "dating" Dillon. I put quotes around it because she says they haven't actually gone out on a real date. She mentioned something about wanting to see herself in a tabloid identifed as a "mystery woman." It's kind of funny because she thinks he's an insecure jacka$$, but she wants to find out why... I hope she has a good time with him. Enjoy!

I'm sitting in Sped's dining room as I write this. I came down for moral support and heavy lifting, and to take her to the salon. It's been 2 months since she's been and she needs it. Just kidding, Sped. I'm going to take the opportunity to get a manicure if they have any openings.

Took the train to get here last night. The husband and Sofie took me to the station and Sof kind of wigged out when I walked away to get on the train. Brian had to pick her up and when I got to a seat, I looked out and saw them surrounded by 3 women who were all petting Sofie. She's so damn cute!

Anyway, we had 30 minutes at Union Station so I decided to get off and take a look around. The place is beautiful. I could imagine it in the 30's and 40's with all the glamorous women and their steamer trunks. I walked to the lobby and it was like a movie set. I'm sure I've seen it on tv or in the movies, but it was hard to believe a public space in LA could be that amazing. It was clean and full of character. I'll have to take my camera next time.

Greedy Bastard Update

I finally got the chance to go thru all of the GB's timecards and calculate his meal penalties. Grand Total $1,352.50

Now I know that seems like a lot of money, but remember that this GB makes $11,500.00 per week. That's $2300.00 per day. He started in August and wrapped up in January. Without the meal penalties, he made $223,100.00 - nearly a quarter of a million dollars. The meal panalties, as much/little as they are, equal 0.6% of his salary.

Think about that when you pay $10+ for your movie ticket.

Bad Doggy Dream

I went to bed early last night with back pains. The husband tucked me in with a heating pad and I read for a bit, then dozed off. I woke up around 10 and took off the pad, then settled in to sleep the rest of the night.

Then I had the nightmare.

I dreamed the husband and I were on vacation somewhere, a coastal city in the south I think. At some point, we were on a street in a neighborhood and I was standing at a dumpster in front of a house while the husband retrieved something from behind a house. Weird little British cars drove up the street with bumpers on them that did some sort of advertising and I was peeling a sticker off of something when I realized the people in the house were coming out. I willed the husband to be done with whatever it was he was doing and saw him come over the fence. He fell down, at which point two dogs came running towards me. One stopped and another kept coming. Thinking it was Sofie, I bent to pick it up, but it was a white terrier instead. Somewhere in here I remember hearing someone yelling about proving it was their dog causing problems and seeing a sign about some other white dog who was blamed for injuring other dogs and terrorizing the neighborhood. I went over to the stopped dog, which was Sofie and picked her up like a baby. Then the husband came over and was on his cell phone. I asked him who he was calling and he said the vet and if that dog had hurt Sofie... I looked at her and noticed the fur on her thigh was mangled, but there wasn't any blood, more like it had gotten wet and was separated. Then I looked at her again and realized that her back feet were missing like they had been cut off. It wasn't bleeding and she wasn't crying or anything, just looking at me as if to say "fix it mommy." I tried to scream at the husband, still on the phone, but couldn't get a sound out at first. Then I managed a choked cry, at which point I kind of woke myself up but by then it was too late and I was crying.

The husband came in and got me thru it and Sofie was right there, licking my face and enjoying the taste of my salty tears. She even tried to clean out my nose for me. It took me a while to stop crying and I'm still bothered by the dream. She was so still and quiet, but looked at me as if I could take away her pain. And I was helpless.

When we went for our walks this morning, I kept looking at her, making sure all four paws were there. I don't know how people with kids manage if they have dreams like this. I love my dog, but I know it's not the same as a child.

Leaving Early

They decided to close the office early today and most everybody left by 3pm. I had some actual work to do, but it's done now so I'm going home. Have to stop by the post and mail Dumas' check (which should have gone out last Thursday, but I hate him so I left it in my desk drawer over the weekend). I also have a "why can't you morons fill out your paperwork" letter to mail.

Off to the house to do laundry.

Job Offer #1

Since I'm about to be unemployed (again) I thought I'd keep a record of the job offers I get. Now, I've heard rumors of people calling for recommendations and stuff, but I've decided to track only the offers I get in the order I get them.

The first offer is from a woman I've worked with before, who I will call B. The offer is for a Disney feature starring J Travolta and T Allen and will shoot in Sante Fe, NM. Now, as much as I like working with B and would love to do a Travolta picture, B knows I can't go on location. I just can't leave the husband and the kitties all alone for 3 or 4 months. I will mention this offer to the husband and see if he is at all interested in spending the next 3 or 4 months in Sante Fe with me, but I'm pretty sure the answer will be no.

So that's it for Job Offer #1. Looks like it'll be a pass.

Hey! Husband!

If I mention in the blog that I think you're going to comment during De-Lurking Week, it would be nice if you commented.

Thanks. Love you!

Comic Books and Porn

The husband and I spent the day selling off the detritus of his comic and paperback book collections at the Shrine Auditorium in LA. There weren't a lot of dealers there, most of whom are people who own stores or do this sort of thing for a living. Nevertheless, we ended up right next to the porn booth - videos and magazines.

I didn't realize it for the first hour or so, but it wasn't long before I couldn't turn my head to the left without getting an eyeful of T&A. It was funny, too, watching the guys come in closer to our table to see what we had then veer off, eyes popping, to the boxes of porn. Some people tried to play it off as humorous, commenting on the size of the boxes VHS originally came in. Others were super serious, reading the backs of boxes as if it mattered. Maybe it did. Maybe they were looking for a specific actress or something.

The dealers did pretty brisk business, although every last one of them wore bulky coats and hats pulled down to their eyes. As the husband said later "too late!" What were they trying to hide? They're standing in a room full of sweaty fan-boys.

And even though I saw some interesting stuff ("Tales from the Backside," "The College Girls") the husband said I was lucky. He sat to my right and had a clear view of everything and all he saw was gay porn. Male gay porn. He was a bit disappointed to say the least.

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That was Darby deciding to step off the desk via the keyboard.

We did pretty well, though. The money was good and we got rid of a lot. I'm taking what's left of the paperbacks to work tomorrow to see if anybody wants a look.

And when I said Shrine Auditorium? I did mean the place where they used to hold the Oscars and still occasionally have Major Award Shows. Remember the porn booth in the back hall next time you see the red carpet...

It's Not Just Breakfast Anymore...

I'm going back to Weight Watchers tomorrow. I've got to lose the 40 pounds that I've gained over the past year. Actually, my current goal is to lose 30 pounds - I think it's more realistic for me. I may decide to lose that last 10, but that's a decision I'll make then, not now.

Don't know how well I'll do, but I can't do any worse than I have been. At least the husband has promised to go on it with me. He won't go to the meetings, but it's hard to be the only one on a diet when both of us need it.

It's hard to be on a diet at all. I need to start thinking of this as a lifestyle change, but that's easier said than done. I just hate being the one to stand out, the one saying no, I can't eat that cake/cookie/whatever. But then I realized that being so overweight makes me stand out even more and in a worse way. And I'm tired of defining myself as "fat." It's the only adjective I use when I describe myself. And I'm so much more than fat. It's just I don't see it under the 40 pounds.

So the weight has to go. It's not like I'm pregnant or anything as an excuse. I just eat too much and don't exercise enough. Time for a change.

Wish me luck.

Vespa

I've avoided mentioning my Vespa on the off-chance my parents were read my blog. I figured I'd get a lot of grief about it, considering one of my brothers was nearly killed in a motorcycle accident nearly 20 years ago and is still affected by it. When my dad came to visit last week, I was pretty worried about how it would go, wondering if I should pretend it belonged to the neighbors and was only parked on our side of the column because we had wider spaces...

When my dad finally asked me if it was mine, as we were getting out of the car from sight-seeing, I thought "here it comes." I told him it was mine and he walked over to look at it more closely. I just waited for the other shoe to drop. After a moment, my dad says "I've always wanted one of these but your mother would kill me." I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. I'm glad he didn't preach to me about the hazards, because we both know perfectly well what can happen. But I'm also sad for him that he has that regret. I don't want to have any regrets when I look back on my life. I've had a few, but as time passed they've lessened considerably in importance. My dad is 78 and he doesn't have the luxury of letting time soothe things.

I almost offered to let him take it for a spin, then realized if something did happen to him, mom would kill me. Not a chance I was willing to take. But I ride it for my dad as much as for me. Maybe it'll pass thru the cosmos and make him smile for no reason one day.

De-Lurking Week

According to girlfiend, it's De-Lurking week. Anybody who's reading a blog is supposed to comment and let the blogger know they have an audience.

Now, I'm no girlfiend so I'm pretty sure I'll hear from the husband, Sped, maybe my sister, and Tara (if she was being honest when she said she liked the blog). Other than that, it's up for grabs. I'm not sure the woman from Kansas is still reading... and I have to say I'm not even sure it was Kansas (sorry).

Ouch

Sped just called me - she's back from her spinal tap. Hence the title. I feel all special, as I'm number 3 on the call list after the mom and mom-in-law.

She won't know the results until next Tuesday, but hopefully they'll get some real answers. At least the tap didn't hurt that much. She said they numbed the area and had an x-ray going so they could see where the vertebrae were and that besides the initial prick, it wasn't much. Unfortunately, they seemed to hit a nerve that causes dizziness and she ended up hurling her cream of wheat all over the table. She was embarrased and told the doctor at least she didn't pee herself. He told her that she had and let her believe it for a bit before he said he was joking. Funny. Ha Ha.

So good wishes to Sped that this is over soon. She's got babies she needs to start pumping out now that she and Dan are legal and all.

Let the Wrapping Begin

I didn't make it to the wrap party. I didn't even want to be at work on Sunday and I wasted a lot of time playing Freecell - it was 9pm before I decided to call it a day and I wasn't done. I knew if I went, all I'd want to do would be to ask those people how they could be such morons and still make so much money.

It was a good party from what I heard and apparently Sean Penn showed up, but it's not like he went around chatting with the crew. He allegedly spent the evening sitting in the corner with Wilson. Typical. I don't know - when I go to the wrap party I rarely enjoy myself, but I always feel left out when I don't go...

We did get a wrap gift from the directors - a flask engraved "Randolph Dupree". It's a cute idea, since the groomsmen in the movie all got engraved flasks. The only thing we have to put in it though is some wine the best boy grip got us (he actually got us 2 very nice baskets with several bottles of wine in each, with a bunch of munchies) but you're not supposed to put anything acidic in the flask. Oh well. I've still got some tequila at home.

It's all over now and people are starting to go. I've gotten several final timecards and will get more each day. Yippee! Only a little over 2 weeks left for me. Don't know what's next, but my resume is out there and we'll see.

That's A Wrap.

The show finally wrapped on Friday - over budget and 4 days over schedule... this will be my last working Sunday. I'm back to Monday thru Friday as of next week.

I so don't want to be here. I'm still tired from my dad being in town, although we didn't really do much of anything. I drove him around the Universal backlot on Thursday, then took him to a couple of grocery stores so he could compare prices (it was ugly and made me unhappy). Then he went back to his room and took a nap. We went to The Smokehouse for dinner that night. I think he liked it.

On Friday we drove all over town, starting on Mulholland with the two overlooks - one onto the Valley and the other onto the city. I was a beautiful day, about 85 degrees and not too much haze. We could see all the way from the observatory to the ocean. Then we drove thru Hollywood and saw the Walk of Fame. We drove down Sunset and finally ended up in Santa Monica to see the pier and the beach. We finally headed up and went thru Beverly Glen and back along Mulholland. Dad seemed to enjoy it, looking at the different architecture and stuff - ex-engineer and all. But we didn't really get out of the car and I was tired from all the driving.

When we got back, we took Sofie to the dog park and let her run around for a bit. There was a man there whose dog played with Sofie for a while, running and chasing. He asked us if he owed us any money for wearing his dog out. We told him we knew how he felt.

Anyway, we went to Universal Citywalk for dinner. Dad had wanted seafood and I planned on taking him somewhere near the beach for lunch, but he wasn't hungry when we were out there. I don't know of too many seafood places in the Valley, so I went with Gladstone's. It's touristy, but the food was good and there was stuff to see. Then we took him back to his hotel and that was that. His flight left at 8am Saturday morning and we picked him up at 6am. We stopped at McD's on the way to the airport and got him some breakfast, then dropped him off and went home. We ended up watching Battlestar Gallactica (is that spelled right?) then going back to bed. I talked to dad later and he'd gotten home just fine, although they lost his luggage.

Anyway, I'm worn out and over this show, but I have to get the work done. And the wrap party is tonight. I'm not really interested in going at this point in time, but if I change my mind, I'd better be done. Ugh - back to work.

I did want to say that it's probably a good thing we're done. Two of our stars haven't been getting along so well. I think the comment heard the other day was "What the f*ck is your problem?" So it's not been all wine and roses...

2005 Done and Gone

I'd like to do some kind of recap of 2005 like I've been reading on other blogs, but my memory isn't good enough for it. Those lists of questions would only really apply to the past couple of months and a few high and/or low points of the first 10 months.

January began in London and ended up pretty shitty.
Don't really remember anything special about February.
March was ice-skating lessons that resulted in a cracked tailbone, followed by getting Sofie (nee Amy, nee Chloe).
April was sneaking Sofie onto the Warner Bros. ranch when the husband came to pick me up.
May was spent not killing my boss and on Sped's wedding.
June was having LASIK and getting Pergo.
July was Comic-Con.
August was reshoots and this job.
September was more of this job and my Vespa.
October was Hawaii.
November was even more of this job.
December was my motorcycle training class, Sped being sick, and work.

I'm sure if I reread my entries, it'd jog my memory, but that'd be cheating.

On to 2006. It's going to be a watershed year for us.

The Countdown Begins!

I know most people are done with their countdowns by now, but mine has just begun. My birthday is at the end of the month and the gift-giving doesn't stop until then. The husband and I are going to Tennessee to see my family when I finish this show, so I don't know what to expect, but I'm hoping to pick up a little something while we're at home.

The trailer is out for You, Me & Dupree if you get the chance to see it. Looks pretty funny - maybe I sould read the script... I read one in Hawaii when we first started shooting, but they've had so many changes there's been enough pages to make 3 scripts. I spent an hour or so putting mine together last week while waiting for my edits. It's pretty colorful. You see, scripts start out on white paper. Whenever something gets changed, they print it out on a different color paper so people can keep track. The order is: white, blue, pink, yellow, green, goldenrod, buff, salmon, cherry, tan, gray, ivory, & orchid. If they make enough changes, the go back thru the colors again. Our last distribution was 2nd orchid. That's a damn lot. But the color thing is standard in the industry and I wonder sometimes if those colors are available in the real world.

Anyway, look up the trailer and see what you think.